The prior art is replete with disclosures of pill dispensers adapted to be programmed to deliver pills in the proper combination and at the proper times as are pre-set.
An example is the U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,453, issued Jun. 13, 1998, to Luckstead which discloses a disk having pockets which successively register with an opening in an underplate to permit medicine to fall into a tray. The disk is turned by a motor which is switched off at the proper time by a portion of ferrous material in the periphery of the disk which affects a magnetically-sensitive switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,136 to Loidl discloses a dispensing device comprising a manually-turned disk having openings for receiving pills. The openings will successively come into alignment with an opening above a drawer.
The Skidmore U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,651 has a disk with compartments about its periphery, the stopping of the disk being effected by means of lever-actuated pins on the disk, the pins adapted to contact a control switch.
Benoroya U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,403 provides a compartmented annular storage tray and a cover with a door which aligns successively with the compartments. The mechanism includes visual and audible alarms.
U.S Pat. No. 5,472,113 to Shaw issued Dec. 5, 1995 provides a "vaned" wheel disposed on a horizontal axis with compartments between the vanes into which pills are inserted. When the disk rotates, the compartments successively align with a bottom opening in a surrounding housing. Means are provided to block over-discharge by shutting the dispenser down.
Despite all the art, there has been a need for a compact dispenser which will accurately dispense the proper dosages at times set by the user or caregiver.